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Pesto-y Tomato Sauce

Author Notes:This recipe brings together two of the best things my farmer's market has to offer in the summer: basil and fresh tomatoes. It's delightfully fresh tasting and a nice change from standard tomato sauce. —shangrilarcadia

Serves: 2-4, depending on your appetite

Ingredients

6
beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes – tops removed and sliced into two rounds

1/2
cup olive oil

1
teaspoon oregano

6
cloves garlic - peeled

2
cups fresh basil

2
tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese

2
tablespoons pine nuts

8
ounces angel hair pasta

In This Recipe

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil into a 9x13 pan and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.

Place tomato rounds in a single layer in the pan. You should be able to fit 4 across and 3 down. Place garlic cloves in the gaps created between tomatoes in the center. Sprinkle with oregano and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Roast tomatoes until the tomatoes and garlic start to brown on the top, 60-90 minutes, depending on how watery your tomatoes are.

While tomatoes are roasting, place basil, parmesan, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse. With motor running, drizzle in ¼ cup olive oil. Remove mixture from food processor and set aside.

When it looks like your tomatoes are getting near done, start the water boiling for the pasta. Season it with salt and a touch of olive oil.

When tomatoes are finished roasting, remove pan from the oven. With a fork, carefully lift tomato rounds and garlic out of the pan to separate them from juices.

Strain juices with a fine strainer or food mill to remove seeds, then pour them into a sauce pan. Simmer juices over medium heat until they are thickened to a syrupy consistency.

If you have a food mill, run tomato rounds through the food mill and then place them and garlic in your now empty food processor. If you don’t have a food mill, that’s ok, it will still be yummy, just more rustic with the skins and seeds (in this case, you can skip straining the juices), so just place directly into food processor. Pulse to chop tomatoes into a pulp.

Angel hair only takes a few minutes to cook until al dente, so throw it while tomato juices are thickening.

When tomato juices have thickened sufficiently, stir in tomato pulp and basil mixture.